Sad news that Paul Daniels died today.
Paul Daniels, who anyone my age will remember seeing on his BBC Saturday night show which ran all though the 80’s, may not have been everyone’s cup of tea but he popularised magic.
Unlike many magicians, Paul Daniels didn’t just perform tricks, he was an entertainer and could make the most mundane of magic tricks enthralling with his endless patter. He was used to being heckled and his put down gave rise to what became his most famous catch phrase, “You’ll like this… not a lot, but you’ll like it”.
Thousands of would be magician children will remember their Paul Daniels’ magic set with fond memories of performing tricks wishing that they themselves were Paul Daniels or possibly his glamorous assistant later to become his wife, Debbie McGee.
What’s less known is that Paul Daniels was an avid eBay user (911 feedback, 100% feedback).
At one point, such was his fame, that “an interested observer and a big, big fan” chronicled Paul Daniels’ eBay transactions on a blog.
The world has lost a great entertainer and eBay have lost one of their longest serving celebrity users – he was buying and selling on eBay as far back as 2000. In the words Paul Daniels used to end his shows… “That’s Magic”.
Dan Wilson adds:
I was a speaker at one of the eBay University Events in something like 2004. I think we were in Bristol. Paul Daniels, and the lovely Debbie McGee, were in the audience and they were very nice to other attendees and their presence created quite a buzz. After one talk I was desperate for a tinkle and hotfooted it to the gents to relieve myself. In full flow I was disturbed by a familiar voice, from a shorter man, standing next to me: “I’ve got some ideas on how eBay can improve Negative Feedback.”
So for few moments, stood at the urinals, Paul Daniels and I talked feedback. Not much of a claim to fame….
5 Responses
Nice bloke, a genuine entertainer. Sympathies to his wife and family
I was very sad to read of his death, as it’s yet another of my memories gone so soon after Bowie, and so a bit nearer to my own departure I suppose.
I do remember having a phase of thinking he was the most irritating person on television, and like many others I wondered how he had ever managed to pull such a cracker !
Eventually, like Roses (All us oldies will remember the adverts), he started to grow on me, and so became another of the many great British institutions which we take for granted and expect to be part of the furniture for ever.
His passing does rather put our niggly ebay moans and groans into perspective though.
He was indeed an avid eBayer.
I recall him turning up at Stuff U Sell to collect a purchase and being very pleasant to the team here, signing autographs etc. We get a few celebs in this business and he was certainly one of the old-school charmers.
Very sad, we were lucky enough to see him perform live last year, he was absolutely amazing.
sad news, for a good entertainer, and to a local legend, he was born minutes from me in my hometown.
there has been talk of a lasting monument to him.